


mind and matter

by springdoves



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Gen, chipped!au, chipped!dt, i love dt more than life so i had a lot of fun writing this!, it's kinda angsty but i put in some little humor moments to lighten it up, lmk if you guys wanna see more of this!!, this might become a multi chapter idk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:41:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24625669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/springdoves/pseuds/springdoves
Summary: double trouble has made some real mistakes in their lifetime, but this one takes the cake.
Relationships: Catra & Double Trouble (She-Ra), Double Trouble & Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 72





	1. chapter one

It came when they least expected it.

That bone-crushing, flesh-searing sensation that flooded their body whenever they transformed. Horde Prime had never really gotten the hang of the delicacy that shapeshifting required, meaning that Double Trouble would sit there, feeling themself lose more and more of their resolve as they went undercover as an innocent resident of another refugee camp. Of course, they harbored no ill will. That was how it was, being chipped—no matter how much you wanted to scream, the machinery always had the upper hand.

The Horde (well, the new Horde) had been making gains, chipping Etherians at an impressive speed. Still, the princesses had begun organizing a new rebellion. This rebellion didn’t seem to be faring all too well, as some of the more powerful princesses were now enlightened and helping Prime’s cause. Double Trouble had been initiated after being discovered during a routine inspection for all clones. Instead of killing them on sight, Horde Prime had offered them a chance to ascend. He assured their resident shapeshifter that he had grand plans for them that would allow the Horde to make massive gains and that they were a crucial cog in his machine. Being a cog wasn’t that bad, right? Their leader always said, “Everyone has a place in my empire.” He was gracious enough to allow them unmatched opportunities and a place in his new society. They were given room and board for free, and they didn’t have to worry about all the petty moral intricacies that mercenary work entailed, because Prime’s light was the one truth in their husk of a world.

The higher-ranking members of Prime’s military were permitted to stay in a separate dormitory from the clones. Double Trouble, Spinnerella, Scorpia, and Mermista all slept in these quarters, never speaking or interacting whatsoever. If this were anywhere but the Velvet Glove, they would be reconciling with Scorpia, but these were different times, and they were a different lizard. Something Double Trouble had noticed in their time around these princesses was that their powers seemed amplified by the chip. Sure, they hadn’t met any of them properly before (save for Scorpia, but she was powerless when they had last spoken, and the little bits of Princess combat they had witnessed while disguised as Flutterina), but Catra would have uncharacteristically and grossly underestimated their powers otherwise. She had her faults, but she knew that to take down an enemy, you had to account for all possibilities. The princesses were wonderful brutes for Horde Prime to shove around, and the looks on the rebels’ faces when they watched their former friends unleash their full power must have been priceless. Simply put, it was deliciously sinister.

This time, it was some village named Erelandia, populated by a bizarre race that Double Trouble couldn’t exactly describe. It would be business as usual, and Horde Prime would disguise them as the pink princess. They couldn’t use her powers, of course, but it was a nice party trick for the villagers who didn’t know any better. Unfortunately, it seemed that Adora, Glimmer, Bow, a defective clone, and a new princess (who, if Double Trouble had to take their best guess, was probably Entrapta, the bizarre scientist whom Catra had banished to Beast Island) had come to dispel the Horde’s presence. Groaning, they tossed their hair over their shoulder and felt their bones clash together. All they could do was wait for the pain to be over, floating in the in-between of two separate bodies. It was a necessary evil, however. A small sacrifice for the greater good.

Once their transformation was complete, they peeked out from behind a shop, careful to remain out of sight. Of course, they were a fabulous actor and could pull off a good impression of an unchipped Spinnerella in the event that they were noticed by one of the rebels, but that would be a complete waste of time. The princesses were most likely aware of her capture. Besides, acting wasn’t important to their cause. Personal fancies had to be done away with for the good of the group.

Double Trouble heard footsteps against the cobblestone streets and retreated to their alley. The noise dissipated in several separate directions, signaling that the princesses had split up into at least two groups. It was in their best interest to choose the path of least resistance—these were real princesses, after all, and being a valuable asset to Prime, it was best to remain as unharmed as possible while getting the most results. Thus, they followed the group that seemed to comprise of fewer people. After a minute or so, the sounds stopped and a voice rang out.

“Once I get these samples analyzed, we’ll know if princesses were here...in approximately four to six weeks!” It certainly belonged to a princess, but they couldn’t recall knowing anyone who spoke with such zeal for...anything, really. That meant it would have to belong to the violet-haired princess, the one who they assumed was Entrapta. With the knowledge that Entrapta was the only one speaking and that she possessed no powers other than her bizarre, dextrous hair (which she only used for scientific purposes, according to Catra’s words in the Fright Zone), it was safe to advance.

Creeping through the empty streets, Double Trouble cursed this body for having such heavy footsteps. Nonetheless, they continued their pursuit, reaching the cul-de-sac where the assortment of princesses and their allies had congregated. They stepped into the light, eyes glowing yellow with the chip’s power, and spoke. They had one shot at this. Entrapta was a valuable asset to the Horde, seeing as she was perhaps the most intelligent person on Etheria. Having her on their side was crucial to the Rebellion’s defeat.

“Hello, Entrapta.” The princess looked up from her beakers, backing away slightly upon seeing the glow in their eyes. “Why do you stay with the rebels, even now? They don’t respect you. They never have, and they never will. We can give you everything you need to discover more about the planet. The rebels are holding you back, Entrapta. It’s time to let go and enter Prime’s light.” 

“They’re...my friends. I’m not turning my back on them again.” Entrapta remained perched on the branch of a large tree. She studied them for a moment before shouting. “Wait, you’re that windy one, right?”

Deciding that bargaining simply wouldn’t do for this disrespectful insurgent, they set to climbing the tree she was settled on. Entrapta wasn’t particularly high up, but this body required them to sacrifice a significant amount of their usual agility. The princess used the aforementioned dextrous hair to lift herself off of the branch and onto the ground and immediately took off running. Double Trouble didn’t waste a second, pushing themself off the tree and using the momentum to sprint after the princess. They were almost close enough to get a chip in when something tripped them, resulting in a very embarrassing faceplant.

Without pausing, Double Trouble swung their arm in the direction of whoever was responsible for their mistake. The sudden and overwhelming ache that consumed them seemed to indicate that their transformation had faltered. A quick look down indicated that their true identity was now made available to all in their vicinity. Of course this would happen in the midst of a battle. It would probably be in their best interest to shift back, but there was no time. Besides, they could hold their own in a fight. Their attack made contact with air, target safely yet unfortunately out of reach. It seemed that Entrapta had escaped for now. Deciding that it was best to figure out who they were up against, the reptile raised their chin, coming face to face with someone they never thought they would have to see again. If that pirate boyfriend of Mermista’s was notorious for burning ships, Double Trouble was his counterpart when it came to the matter of bridges. And their relationship with Catra had ended on a sour note, although it was far from her fault.

“Double Trouble,” the feline croaked, frozen in place at the revelation. “He got you too, huh? Figures.”

“Hey, kitty,” Double Trouble cooed, cupping Catra’s cheek in their palm. “Sorry, can’t talk right now.”

Shoving the woman down, the shapeshifter kneed her in the stomach. She let out a shout, recoiling but refusing to back down. Good. They could use a tough fight for once. Luckily, seeing as they were put in charge of fighting in her place on several occasions, and they had figured out her character fairly well. Her grace was almost unmatched (they would admit that even they could learn a few things from the feline), and her claws were impressively sharp. It would be difficult, but they were confident in their ability to bring her down. They almost had her in a position to be chipped, towering over the woman, when she kicked them in the knee and thrust her fingers against their own chip. 

The impact felt as if it burned their every nerve. Groaning, Double Trouble sank to the ground, unable to meet the feline’s gaze. Sparks prickled at the back of their neck, pain radiating from the chip digging into their skin. Something snapped, and their eyes faded back to emerald. Catra could barely look at them, but she whimpered, voice hoarse.

“Double Trouble?” she rasped.

The lizard blinked a few times, acclimating to their location. Where even were they? It had been so long since they could see anything besides darkness. They found the strength to lift their chin, locking eyes with Catra, blinking rapidly.

And they let out the most pained scream of their life.

It was everything that they had bottled up. It was hyperventilating as Horde Prime inspected his ranks. It was the pure terror of being discovered. It was drowning in that fluorescent pool before Prime's throne. It was various clones working to get the chip in just right. It was trying to shift the chip away and almost getting stabbed with a pair of scissors. It was meeting Scorpia again and saying nothing, just nodding and returning to their nighttime routine. It was being held hostage in their own mind. It was knowing that they would never be able to move on from this, that they would always be haunted by the voices and phantom pains.

Voice shaking, they took several deep breaths. Although they were incredibly weak, they managed to speak. “Kitten...what did they do to your hair?” They already knew the answer but didn’t want to face it. How had Prime gotten his hands on the crafty feline? She would never do anything to put herself in danger. She was taken away by the flagship right after their betrayal, along with Sparkles. Could she have done something to lose his favor? Considering her attitude when dealing with leadership in the Fright Zone, it wasn’t out of the question. They had witnessed firsthand Hordak’s rage during their audition.

Catra’s eyes grew round and she took a tentative step toward the reptile. Placing a shaking hand on their shoulder, she whispered, “We have to get that thing out of your neck. Entrapta can help. She helped me.”

Before they could offer anything in response, a sharp stabbing sensation plunged through their neck, and they felt any sense of personal liberty leave as the chip regained control. Their back slammed against the metal, sending chills down their spine. It was always frigid in their mind, and sometimes they would pass in and out of consciousness, succumbing to the cold in their skin-tight leotard. Sure, the thing was easy to shift in, but it was far from warm.

It was almost like an echo chamber, little bits of the outside bouncing around. Sometimes they couldn’t tell whether the voice was theirs or someone else’s. The shifting brought a world of pain, but the loud bone cracking that could be heard was far worse. The most horrible part of it all, however, was hearing themself proclaim Prime’s greatness. Why had they been so stupid? It would have been so easy to not pretend to be a clone. They wished it hadn’t taken so much pain to learn their lesson. They were so innocent, thinking they could get away with anything without getting caught. But Prime saw all. Prime knew all.

The sounds of a fight could be heard from the outside, and all they could do was curl up into a ball and cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading! this is my first she ra fic, and i'm really proud of how it turned out. if you'd like to see this turn into a multi-chapter fic about their experiences once they're captured by the rebels (please note that there will be an official chipped!au fic as well!), please leave a comment below. special thanks to tumblr users @pansder-stuff and @mirast-odaest for beta-reading this and to the double trouble fanclub groupchat for all of your support, you guys are the best :) please leaves kudos or a comment if you enjoyed (comments > kudos but kudos are appreciated)!


	2. announcement (PLEASE READ)

if u follow my other works, u mightve noticed the trend in my announcements lately. to make a long story short, following the she ra panel, i started to drift from the show. i loved writing this fic and getting to experiment with unreliable narrator and perspective but regardless of how much i enjoyed the process i wont force myself to keep writing for a fandom im no longer a part of. thank u all so much for the immense support this fic got, u can find me on twitter @moomintroIIs !! have a wonderful day :)

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading! this is my first she ra fic, and i'm really proud of how it turned out. if you'd like to see this turn into a multi-chapter fic about their experiences once they're captured by the rebels (please note that there will be an official chipped!au fic as well!), please leave a comment below. special thanks to tumblr users @pansder-stuff and @mirast-odaest for beta-reading this and to the double trouble fanclub groupchat for all of your support, you guys are the best :) please leaves kudos or a comment if you enjoyed (comments > kudos but kudos are appreciated)!


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